


At the Shelter

by Rookmoon



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Cats, Exceeds - Freeform, Fluff, Gajeel has no idea what he's doing, Gajeel with Cats, Meet-Cute, Other, Pantherlily the wing-cat, Shelter, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 12:23:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19173199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rookmoon/pseuds/Rookmoon
Summary: You work at a shelter, and someone else spends time there as well.He doesn't seem the type to let cats climb all over him, but here he is, with several cats sprawled over his legs and draped over his shoulders like he's the most interesting cat tree. You find yourself wanting to get to know him better, and as it turns out, he does as well.





	At the Shelter

You had started volunteering at the local animal shelter in Magnolia twice a week to fill some of your spare time. It was wonderful to work with so many animals, and help them find their families. It was often the highlight of your week. You always felt refreshed after working there.

That feeling continued when you had been there long enough to notice the regulars. Sometimes you would try to start conversations with them. If they're going to be there when you are, you might as well try to make friends. Most of them brushed you off, but there was one guy that always seemed to be there. You didn't talk to the young man, mostly because every time you tried there was something else that needed your attention, but he was still there. Even as you tried to focus on your work, he drew your eyes whenever he was in sight.

His long black hair stood out against the other people that frequented the shelter, and there was something else strange about him. He always seemed to have his own cat with him. Every time you saw him, he was in one of the cat rooms talking either to his own cat or the cats that seemed to love lounging around him.

He was a cat magnet. And a human magnet, if the other people you had seen trying to get his attention had anything to say about it.

You found that even when you did get a chance to talk to him, you were hesitant. He just looked so happy with the cats, and you didn't want to change that blissfully calm look on his face for a bit of awkward conversation.

That changed when you ended up changing out the litter boxes in the cat room when he walked in. At first he was silent, as was his cat. He walked over to his usual spot on the floor and waited for some fluffy friends to come over, as they always did.

By the time you had finished cleaning out the boxes, he has a cat on his lap, a cat curled up against the side of his leg, and a cat trying to play with the ends of his hair. It was so cute that you almost cooed at him. Luckily you held back, because when you left and the door was closing behind you, you could swear you heard a voice saying "so that's her?"

Another voice responded as it clicked shut. "Yup that's her alright."

You could account for one of the voices, but you had no idea who the other one would be. Your mind was buzzing with questions, but you had to finish your part of the chores for the day before you could try to pick apart what the pair might have been talking about.

You hurried about your tasks, hoping to be able to talk to him when you were done but by the time you had finished and gone back to the cat room, they were gone. A quick glance around the shelter let you know that he had left, and you were still wondering what exactly he was talking about. Two questions kept you up that night. Which voice was his? Who was he talking to?

You wouldn't find out until next week, when the strangeness of it had passed and you were picking up the cats one by one for pictures.

The cats were being good, for the most part. They would jump into the little carrier box without much prompting just because it was a new box, and they loved boxes. The felines would be returned just as easily. All in all, it was fun work. You got to take pictures of the little fluff butts being themselves, and they got to play in new spaces for a while. It was simple. That is, until you got to the room that the interesting regular was in. Some of the cats wandered over to you, and you were about to get a few of their pictures taken, but the felines closer to the young man weren't wanting to come. You could always come back later, but you if you did that, you might lose track of who's already been done. You approached the man and the walking, talking cat to pick up one of the regular kitties when you heard one of them speak.

"So, you come here often?" The voice was rough. In a way, it was also soothing.

Startled, you looked up to see the man looking like he had realized how strange that sounded now that the tender silence had been broken.

You didn't really hide your chuckling, as his already sheepish face turned embarrassed. You decided to take pity on the poor guy. "I've been volunteering here for a few months now. How about yourself?"

"I come whenever I'm not working. I like being with all the cats." His own cat sat next to him and the man scratched at his head in idle thought. "I've seen you around here a lot."

"Yeah, I think it's better for me to help these little guys find homes than to zone out after work."

"I get that." The man nodded. He stands, and you see that he's got height to go along with his amazing build. "I'm Gajeel Redfox. This little guy here is Pantherlily."

You gave him your name and held out a hand to shake. His grip was strong, just like you thought it would be, and you made your grip stronger in kind.

He smiled, satisfied with your handshake. "Good to know you've got a name."

"It's right here." You pointed to the name tag that hung off of your shirt.

Gajeel peered at it. "You've got an interesting last name."

"It's nothing like Redfox, but it does the trick."

"Geeheehee. You got that right."

He let go of your hand, and you took a second to take him in. He was built like a wall, and he’s about as tall as one to boot.

His cat, Pantherlily, got up to greet you as well. "It's nice to finally meet you."

That was when you realized that the other voice had belonged to this fuzzy little guy… With a badass scar over one of his eyes, and a tiny sword that was somehow both adorable and dangerous looking at the same time.

The little guy folded his fluffy arms over his chest and looked up at you.

You suppose he was trying to look cool, but you had to stop yourself from crooning over him.

Pantherlily nudged Gajeel’s calf with an itty bitty elbow, and Gajeel looked down at him. It must have meant something, because Gajeel shrugged and went, "Well, of you're certain."

The cat gave a sharp nod. You got the impression that the more serious he gets, the cuter he seemed.

Gajeel stepped closer to you, catching your attention once again.

"My friend and I have been wondering if you'd like to go for dinner sometime."

You thought about your interaction with him so far. He had been nothing but polite, even if he seems rough around the edges and he kinda scared you when he first spoke…

Then you remembered watching him play with all the cats, how they climbed on him without fear. If he wasn't a good person, the cats wouldn't be so friendly.

There was an unsavory customer had come into the cat room once when you were only a few weeks in, and every cat he had approached had either scratched him or hid. None of the animals had reacted to Gajeel that way. That had to count for something.

"What did you have in mind?"

As you had figured, that one meal had lead to others, and Gajeel was delighted to find that, with some prompting, you could really eat. As you got to know him, you realized that he really can be sweet, especially if you're involved. The more you got to know him, you got to know his guild as well. They were every bit as rambunctious as you thought they might be and more. They were Gajeel's family, and if he played his cards right, they would become your family as well.

You, for one, were looking forward to it.


End file.
